New court documents show Curtis Reeves sent a text to his son just 15 minutes before the former police officer allegedly shot and killed a man in a Florida theater because the man was texting during the previews.
Reeves was arrested in the shooting death of Chad Oulson, apparently after Oulson refused to stop texting in the theater.
MSN News reported that Reeves’ son Matthew Reeves told police that his dad texted him at 1:04 p.m. to say he was inside the theater. Matthew Reeves was meeting his parents there to see a movie.
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Reeves, 71, is facing a second-degree murder charge and an aggravated battery charge stemming from an injury to Oulson’s wife’s finger as she put her hand in front of her husband when the bullet fired.
According to the court documents, Matthew Reeves walked into the dark theater just as his father allegedly shot Oulson, MSN said.
“Matthew said he did not see the shot directly, but the noise and light drew his attention to the top row of seats," MSN quoted Pasco County Sheriff's detective Aaron Smith from the court paperwork.
Matthew Reeves told police he heard the commotion and went toward it, not knowing where his parents were sitting,
the Tampa Bay Times reported after reviewing the court documents. He apparently arrived on the scene in time to catch Oulson as he collapsed.
It was only as he tried to help the wounded man that Matthew Reeves looked up and saw his parents nearby, the Times said. “He said his father appeared to have a shocked look on his face," the court records said.
Reeves, who is in jail without bond, has said that Oulson hit him. Witnesses said they did not see Oulson touch Reeves, MSN said.
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